Tuesday’s sports schedule isn’t quite as deep as Monday’s, but sports bettors still have quite a few options from which to choose on September 22. The NBA playoffs get back underway after a day off on Monday, while we have 16 Major League Baseball games scattered throughout the day. BetOnline has just three odds boost specials on Tuesday night, so let’s do our best to identify some betting value, shall we?
MLB: Yankees and Mets BOTH To Win (+235)
The Yankees will have Gerrit Cole on the mound Tuesday night in Buffalo against the Blue Jays. While Cole has had his fair shre of home run issues so far this season, he has still been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.
The Jays have some power in their lineup, but most of Cole’s problems have come against lefties. The most threatening left-handed bats in the Toronto order these days are Cavan Biggio and Travis Shaw. Otherwise, Cole will see a cavalcade of righties, which plays right into his hands. The Yanks are heavy -255 moneyline favorites against Tanner Roark and the Jays, and justifiably so.
Gerrit Cole tonight vs the Blue Jays:
7.0 IP / 3 H / 1 R / 1 ER / 2 BB / 8 K / 95 pitches pic.twitter.com/pZMB2NIxNf
— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken) September 17, 2020
The Mets aren’t quite as much of a sure thing tonight at home against the Rays. Tampa Bay has quietly been one of baseball’s best teams this season, but the Mets will have one of their better pitchers on the mound. Seth Lugo, who has cemented himself as a full-time starter this season, will get to pick on a Rays lineup missing its best bat in Austin Meadows.
Lugo has a strikeout rate over 30 percent this season, and he’ll be facing a Rays lineup that has struck out over 25 percent of the time against right-handed pitching since the beginning of the 2019 season. Tampa will counter with Blake Snell, who has been in fine form himself this season.
With a former AL Cy Young winner in Snell on the other side, the Mets are listed as +118 moneyline favorites at home tonight.
MLB: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Giants ALL To Win (+310)
The Diamondbacks will host the Rangers tonight. Texas has been arguably the worst team in baseball this season, and they’ll have struggling right-hander Jordan Lyles toeing the rubber. I’m not too confident in Arizona’s Taylor Clarke, but the D-Backs’ offense has come alive over the past week or so. Considering the Rangers have been one of the least-powerful offenses in the majors, and Lyles has been in miserable form all year, it’s easy to like Arizona at home as -145 favorites.
The Dodgers and A’s will square off in Los Angeles in a potential World Series preview. Frankie Montas hasn’t quite lived up to expectations so far this year for Oakland. The right-hander has a walk rate pushing 11 percent, which could get him into trouble against a Dodger lineup that is one of the deepest and most potent in the majors. Los Angeles will have Dustin May on the mound. May’s strikeout numbers aren’t quite as impressive as you may expect for a guy with his kind of talent, but it’s easy to see why the Dodgers are sizable -165 home favorites.
Montas has allowed a wOBA of nearly .450 this season to left-handed hitters. Between Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, and Gavin Lux, Los Angeles boasts no shortage of lefty power.
The Giants, meanwhile, will host the Rockies for the second straight night. Colorado is playing without Nolan Arenado, which leaves the lineup looking extremely pedestrian around Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon. Drew Smyly, who owns a K-rate over 39 percent through five games this season, should have little issue feasting on this lesser version of the Rockies offense.
Colorado has a respectable lefty of their own in Kyle Freeland taking the hill, but the Giants are chasing a playoff spot. The Rockies’ playoff hopes are fleeting at this point. San Francisco is a -156 favorite at Oracle Park tonight.
NBA: Lakers to Win AND Over 213.5 Points (+310)
It wasn’t easy in Game 2, but the Lakers were able to take a 2-0 series lead over the Nuggets on Sunday night thanks to the heroic exploits of Anthony Davis. Davis has carried the Lakers through the first couple of games of this series, and it’s become very apparent that the Nuggets just have no answer for the Brow defensively.
🌟 AD x LBJ 🌟
All-NBA First Team teammates @AntDavis23 and @KingJames lead the @Lakers into Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals tonight at 9 PM ET on TNT! pic.twitter.com/hG89QwyklD
— NBA (@NBA) September 22, 2020
Denver fought hard in Game 2, thanks in large part to Nikola Jokic. The Lakers don’t have a player capable of defending Jokic’s unique skill set, but it remains to be seen whether Denver’s complementary pieces have enough in the tank to make this a series. The Lakers are 6.5-point favorites tonight in Game 3.
The over/under is set at 213.5 points. The teams easily cleared that total with the Lakers’ 126-114 win in Game 1, but Game 2 was a lower-scoring affair with LA taking it, 105-103. The Lakers have been one of the best “under” bets in the league this year, with an over-under record of 38-45. Denver has been more middle-of-the-pack at 44-42-3 on the over/under.
What’s The Best Bet?
I really think both baseball bets have an excellent chance of paying off tonight. I was encouraged enough by what the Nuggets were able to show in Game 2 to where I’m not convinced the Lakers win their third straight tonight, and the over/under is basically a toss-up at this point. I’ll scratch the NBA boost off the list tonight.
You need more to go your way with the three-way baseball result, but all three of these teams are pretty heavily-favored at home.
I’m confident in the Giants and Diamondbacks to take care of a couple of middling opponents. It comes down to the Dodgers beating a stronger A’s team, but LA is the best team in baseball. I think they can get the job done against a struggling right-hander in Montas, so Dodgers/Giants/D-Backs all to win at +310 looks very appetizing tonight.
I think oddsmakers are underrating Lugo. While Snell and a better Rays team should be favored tonight, let’s not act like Lugo is some gas can. He’s fully capable of stifling a lesser version of the Tampa Bay lineup tonight. With Cole on the mound, I’m sure the Yankees hold up their end of things. It comes down to the Mets, who I think stand a pretty solid chance tonight of picking up the win at home.
Considering you only need two games to go your way, side with the New York two-way boost at +235 tonight.
Boosted Odds Prop Bet:
Yankees and Mets BOTH To Win (+235)
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
